Buying gift cards when you shop at Costco is like stepping into one of those cash cubes at a fair or event: With a whirlwind of dollar bills blowing about your face, you’re bound to leave at least a little bit richer. Thankfully, Costco doesn’t ask you to work so hard to save money. The price of every gift card is cheaper than the card’s face value, ensuring savings from the get-go.
So buying them is one of the easiest ways to save money at Costco. If you’re unfamiliar with Costco’s gift card selection, here are five gift cards you should always buy there.
1. Auntie Anne’s
I can already smell the cinnamon and butter. If you’re as addicted to Auntie Anne’s pretzels as I am, Costco can make you feel a little less guilty about the purchase (or not — just be yourself).
At a sticker price of $59.99, you can get $75 of gift card value at Auntie Anne’s. This bundle comes to you as five $15 e-gift cards, which can be scanned from your phone.
2. Moe’s Southwest Grill
Even if you’re a Chipotle fan (count me as one), you can’t beat the free chips and salsa and cheaper prices at Moe’s Southwest Grill. Costco aims to make your lunches or dinners (or breakfast) cheaper by selling you $100 of gift card value for $79.99. This is a new gift card package and can be bought only online.
Even if you’re buying gift cards online, you can earn up to 3% in cash back by getting one of the best credit cards for Costco. Read our curated list of cards and find out how you can earn 3% back on your Costco purchases.
3. Uber
This is one of the best deals at Costco. You can buy $100 of Uber gift card value for $79.99 every 14 days. Gift cards are valid for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides. This can save you $20 if you order your Costco groceries through the Uber Eats app.
It’s important to note the limitations, however. Members are limited to one transaction, but two units per membership. In other words, you can’t buy one gift card today and another next week in separate transactions. If you want to buy two units (value of $200), you have to do it in a single transaction. That said, you can buy this gift card once every 14 days. So if you only want one now, you can always get a second one in two weeks.
4. Southwest Airlines
If you fly Southwest, Costco could save you $50 for every $500 you plan to spend. For $449.99, Costco will deliver a $500 Southwest gift card to your email. Sometimes, Costco wil even sell the same valued gift card for $429.99 — a savings of $70 just by purchasing it through your warehouse membership.
These gift cards can save you money if Southwest is your preferred airline. But keep in mind you can only redeem these on Southwest’s website, mobile app, or over the phone. If you find a great price on a Southwest flight through a third-party site, like Expedia, you won’t be able to use your gift card unless you book your flight directly with Southwest.
Similar to the Uber gift cards, members are limited to one transaction and five total gift cards. This offers you up to $250 of airline savings on five gift cards.
5. Panera Bread
Another new restaurant to Costco’s line-up, Panera Bread gift cards are valued at $100 and sell for $79.99. Like Panera’s Unlimited Sip Club, there’s no limit to the number of gift cards you can buy from Costco. That’s a lot of bread bowls — or chocolate chip cookies.
If these five don’t appeal to you, check out Costco’s website for other gift card bundles. Currently, it offers 100 gift cards, including Instacart, Top Golf, AMC Theatres, Domino’s, and more. And next time you’re at your local warehouse, be on the lookout for its gift card section, as Costco sometimes sells gift cards to restaurants in your area, which can’t be found for sale online.